Overhyped, overrated smile, teenage mom, America, Machiavelli, helicopters, Tom Hanks' bad hair day. Audio Guide# 422 (in French: la Joconde) by Leonardo DA VINCI (Vinci, 1452 - Amboise, 1519) Department of Paintings: Italian painting  I ate a bean burrito and soon you're going to know! Here you are, with hundreds of tourists, looking at a small dark painting, far away, behind bulletproof glass. This is the most famous, overhyped painting in the world, worth $760 million. 80% of the Louvre's visitors come mainly to see it and yet spend only about 15 seconds looking, then take a photo while pushing against hundreds of others tourists and then move on with their bucket lists a bit fuller. Why??! Because she's famous for being famous, like Paris Hilton. And her fame increased after being stolen in 1911 by a guy who wanted to "return" it to Italy. Even Picasso was questioned in relation to the theft! Actually, art experts value the Mona Lisa highly because just like Citizen Kane is considered to be the greatest movie ever because it introduced many new concepts to filmmaking, so is the Mona Lisa is considered groundbreaking to painting. The experts tell us what to believe, so we do and so the hype builds up. Be honest: isn't "Dogs Playing Poker" more entertaining?  The Mona Lisa actually only one of many, not just the "most" important painting in the world, but some romantic poets in 19th - 20th century started getting obsessed with the idea of the femme fatale and she became their ideal. And then she ruled alone. The beauty of the painting is in her expression, serene and enigmatic with a hint of a smile, which is much admired. Her eyes follow you around the room as you walk, which is creepy. She is unusually "alive" because the corners of her mouth and the eyes were painted fuzzily ("sfumato," italian for smoky) without sharp outlines. Your mind fills in the rest makes her more real. The landscape in the far distance is hazier than nearer the front, which is very realistic. The woman is almost life-size and this was new for paintings (though she looks small in the Louvre because she's so far away and behind glass). Leonardo put the woman in a pyramid within the painting, her folded hands form the front corner of the pyramid. Painters love to put things in triangular areas! The light makes her skin glow like she's just used an expensive cream. da Vinci used a three-quarter view (i.e. between a front and a side view) to show her and put her against a beautiful landscape with atmospheric illusion (where depth is created by making distant objects like hills fade into the sky), all in delicate equilibrium. In fact, all these aspects were also new to Leonardo's work, as none of his earlier portraits have all these. The eyebrows and eyelashes probably faded away over time. Wow, Leo packed a pretty punch in here! History. Francesco, the model's husband, commissioned this painting as that's what the rich did, like you do family portraits in ugly sweaters for Christmas. It's a bit bigger than what they could probably afford but they wanted it anyway. It didn't matter, because Leo didn't finish it and they didn't pay. He kept it with himself for the rest of his life after which It was acquired by King Francis I of France and now is the property of the country. Conservation & Damage. Lots of conservation efforts have kept it in very good condition. there are braces on the back to hold it flat (it's made of a poplar panel, i.e. a flat piece of wood, which was popular before canvas became common), chemicals to keep the colors fresh and it's temperature & humidity controlled. It's kept behind bulletproof glass, which is good because things thrown at it have included a rock, paint, acid and a teacup. Only minor damage was inflicted. What would YOU throw? Some Fun Facts. Lisa was a teenage mom, married at 15, third wife of her husband, the first of her 5 kids was born when she was 16. She was identified by Agostino Vespucci, an assistant to Machiavelli (yes, that Machiavelli) and also a cousin of Amerigo Vespucci, after whom America was named even though Columbus got there first, because Columbus thought he'd reached India. Oops. No chicken tikka masala for him. Some Funner facts. The Mona Lisa is the most parodied artwork in the world; here are some on youtube and pInterest. An important modern artist, Marcel Duchamp, too modern for the Louvre, created a parody titled L.H.O.O.Q. which sounds like "she has a hot ass" in French. Pardon his French. An Unfun Fact. In the bad movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, a really bad haircut with Tom Hanks under it runs all over Paris with a very boring Audrey Tatou (from Amelie), solving some fake puzzle centered on the Louvre which involves, of course, the Mona Lisa. If you haven't watched it, don't. It should have been whisked away by Leonardo in the helicopter he drew and dumped into the Seine. Or it should have rocks, paint, acid and teacups rained on it. What do you think? -------------- Here you are, with hundreds of tourists, looking at a small dark painting, far away, behind bulletproof glass. This is the most famous, overhyped painting in the world, worth $760 million. 80% of the Louvre's visitors come mainly to see it and yet spend only about 15 seconds looking, then take a photo while pushing against hundreds of others tourists and move on with their bucket lists a bit fuller.
Why??! Because she's famous for being famous, like Paris Hilton. And her fame increased after being stolen in 1911 by a guy who wanted to "return" it to Italy. Even Picasso was questioned in relation to the theft! Actually, art experts value the Mona Lisa highly because just like Citizen Kane is considered to be the greatest movie ever because it introduced many new concepts to filmmaking, so is the Mona Lisa is considered groundbreaking to painting. The experts tell us what to believe, so we do and so the hype builds up. Be honest: isn't "Dogs Playing Poker" more entertaining?
The Mona Lisa’s fame was also built up when romantic poets in 19th - 20th century started getting obsessed with the idea of the femme fatale and she became their ideal. And then she ruled alone.
The beauty of the painting is in her expression, serene and enigmatic with a hint of a smile, which is much admired. Her eyes follow you around the room as you walk, which is creepy. She is unusually "alive" because the corners of her mouth and the eyes were painted fuzzily ("sfumato," italian for smoky) without sharp outlines. Your mind fills in the rest makes her more real. The landscape in the far distance is hazier than nearer the front, which is very realistic. The woman is almost life-size and this was new for paintings (though she looks small in the Louvre because she's so far away and behind glass).
Leonardo put the woman in a pyramid within the painting, her folded hands form the front corner of the pyramid. Painters love to put things in triangular areas! The light makes her skin glow like she's just used an expensive cream. da Vinci used a three-quarter view (i.e. between a front and a side view) to show her and put her against a beautiful landscape with atmospheric illusion (where depth is created by making distant objects like hills fade into the sky), all in delicate equilibrium. In fact, all these aspects were also new to Leonardo's work, as none of his earlier portraits have all these. The eyebrows and eyelashes probably faded away over time. Wow, Leo packed a pretty punch in here!
History. Francesco, the model's husband, commissioned this painting as that's what the rich did, like you do family portraits in ugly sweaters for Christmas. It's a bit bigger than what they could probably afford but they wanted it anyway. It didn't matter, because Leo didn't finish it and they didn't pay. He kept it with himself for the rest of his life after which It was acquired by King Francis I of France and now is the property of the country.
Conservation & Damage. Lots of conservation efforts have kept it in very good condition. there are braces on the back to hold it flat (it's made of a poplar panel, i.e. a flat piece of wood, which was popular before canvas became common), chemicals to keep the colors fresh and it's temperature & humidity controlled. It's kept behind bulletproof glass, which is good because things thrown at it have included a rock, paint, acid and a teacup. Only minor damage was inflicted. What would YOU throw?
Some Fun Facts. Lisa was a teenage mom, married at 15, third wife of her husband, the first of her 5 kids was born when she was 16. She was identified by Agostino Vespucci, an assistant to Machiavelli (yes, that Machiavelli) and also a cousin of Amerigo Vespucci, after whom America was named even though Columbus got there first, because Columbus thought he'd reached India. Oops. No chicken tikka masala for him.
Some Funner facts. The Mona Lisa is the most parodied artwork in the world; here are some on youtube and pInterest. An important modern artist, Marcel Duchamp, too modern for the Louvre, created a parody titled L.H.O.O.Q. which sounds like "she has a hot ass" in French. Pardon his French.
An Unfun Fact. In the bad movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code, a really bad haircut with Tom Hanks under it runs all over Paris with a very boring Audrey Tatou (from Amelie), solving some fake puzzle centered on the Louvre which involves, of course, the Mona Lisa. If you haven't watched it, don't. It should have been whisked away by Leonardo in the helicopter he drew and dumped into the Seine. Or it should have rocks, paint, acid and teacups rained on it. What do you think? but romantic poets and others began to be obsessed with the femme fatale She was one among many and not the most famous Why is she famous? Until the 20th century, Mona Lisa was one among many and not the "most famous painting"[55] in the world as it is termed today. In 1878, But as the romantic poets of the 19th century began to be obsessed with the femme fatale, the Mona Lisa was seized on as an ideal of womanhood, her smile and the eyes venerated. The confusion over quite who she was increased her allure. Donald Sassoon, author of Becoming Mona Lisa - The History of the World's Most Famous Painting, points out that such was the profusion of religious paintings of saints, famous royals, skinny Dutch women and obese Rubens females, that there weren't that many other paintings of unknown, beautiful women to choose as the object of male fantasies. Until the 20th century, she was one of many and not the "most famous painting" as it's called today. Romantic poets found her to be a femme fatale, an ideal of womanhood, venerated for her smile and eyes. There were so many pictures of religious paintings, of royals and others that there weren't many paintings of unknown, beautiful women for male fantasies. wasn't always the most famous -- it was "one of the," not "the" The subject's expression, which is frequently described as enigmatic,[3] the monumentality of the composition, the subtle modeling of forms, and the atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that have contributed to the continuing fascination and study of the work.[4] It was acquired by King Francis I of France and is now the property of the French Republic, on permanent display at the Louvre Museum in Paris since 1797.[2] In 1956, part of the painting was damaged when a vandal threw acid at it.[29] On 30 December of that same year, the painting was damaged again when a rock was thrown at it, resulting in the loss of a speck of pigment near the left elbow, which was later restored.[30] Picasso was questioned when she was stolen. among the first portraits to depict the sitter before an imaginary landscape and Leonardo was one of the first painters to use aerial perspective.[36] The enigmatic woman is portrayed seated in what appears to be an open loggia with dark pillar bases on either side. Behind her a vast landscape recedes to icy mountains. Winding paths and a distant bridge give only the slightest indications of human presence Such aspects of the work as the three-quarter view of a figure against a landscape, the architectural setting, and the hands joined in the foreground were already extant in Flemish portraiture of the second half of the 15th century, particularly in the works of Hans Memling. However, the spacial coherence, the atmospheric illusionism, the monumentality, and the sheer equilibrium of the work were all new. In fact, these aspects were also new to Leonardo's work, as none of his earlier portraits display such controlled majesty. Leonardo used a pyramid design to place the woman simply and calmly in the space of the painting. Her folded hands form the front corner of the pyramid. Her breast, neck and face glow in the same light that models her hands. The light gives the variety of living surfaces an underlying geometry of spheres and circles. Leonardo referred to a seemingly simple formula for seated female figure: the images of seated Madonna, which were widespread at the time. He effectively modified this formula in order to create the visual impression of distance between the sitter and the observer. The armrest of the chair functions as a dividing element between Mona Lisa and the viewer. among the first portraits to depict the sitter before an imaginary landscape and Leonardo was one of the first painters to use aerial perspective.[36] The enigmatic woman is portrayed seated in what appears to be an open loggia with dark pillar bases on either side. Behind her a vast landscape recedes to icy mountains. Winding paths and a distant bridge give only the slightest indications of human presence The blurred outlines, graceful figure, dramatic contrasts of light and dark, and overall feeling of calm are characteristic of Leonardo's style. Owing to the expressive synthesis that Leonardo achieved between sitter and landscape, it is arguable whether Mona Lisa should be considered as a traditional portrait, for it represents an ideal rather than a real woman. The sense of overall harmony achieved in the painting—especially apparent in the sitter's faint smile—reflects the idea of a link connecting humanity and nature. The sensuous curves of her hair and clothing are mirrored by the valleys and rivers behind her. The overall feel of calm is characteristic of his style. eyebrows/eyelashes Lisa Gherardini, wife of a Florentine cloth merchant named Francesco del Giocondo Lisa del Gioconda's (so it's called la Gioconda in France and Italy) husband commissioned this painting as this is what rich people did. It's a bit bigger than what they could probably afford. daVinci didn't finish it on time and so he didn't get paid and so the painting stayed with him wherever he went (and he travelled a lot. DID HE??). Supposedly enigmatic smile. So what? My dad has one of those. We think it is overhyped. Us regular people usually don't get the hype -- dogs playing poker is more fun. But it's good to know why art experts are ga-ga about Ms. Lisa. Parodies, appropriation. Marcel Duchamp, one of the most influential modern artists, created L.H.O.O.Q., a Mona Lisa parody made by adorning a cheap reproduction with a moustache and a goatee. Duchamp added an inscription, which when read out loud in French sounds like "Elle a chaud au cul" meaning: "she has a hot ass", Why is she famous? Until the 20th century, Mona Lisa was one among many and not the "most famous painting"[55] in the world as it is termed today. In 1878, But as the romantic poets of the 19th century began to be obsessed with the femme fatale, the Mona Lisa was seized on as an ideal of womanhood, her smile and the eyes venerated. The confusion over quite who she was increased her allure. Donald Sassoon, author of Becoming Mona Lisa - The History of the World's Most Famous Painting, points out that such was the profusion of religious paintings of saints, famous royals, skinny Dutch women and obese Rubens females, that there weren't that many other paintings of unknown, beautiful women to choose as the object of male fantasies. Until the 20th century, she was one of many and not the "most famous painting" as it's called today. Romantic poets found her to be a femme fatale, an ideal of womanhood, venerated for her smile and eyes. There were so many pictures of religious paintings, of royals and others that there weren't many paintings of unknown, beautiful women for male fantasies. Fun facts. Overhyped, overrated smile, teenage mom, America, Machiavelli, helicopters, most parodied painting <<<< |